Burglars Loot Shop of Wedding Gowns
Burglars smashed through the front door of a bridal shop in Old Town and pillaged more than 250 wedding gowns early Friday.
The dresses were all samples, so no brides were left with nothing to wear when they march down the aisle. But Brides of Old Town spent Friday answering telephone calls from frantic customers and scrambling to replace the display gowns during the busy June wedding season.
“We have girls getting married tomorrow, they really freaked out,” said assistant manager Kelly Dennison. “But all of those gowns were safe. They’re kept up high where we have to use a huge hook to get them down, and it would have taken the burglars too long.”
Instead, the burglars scooped up every sample dress in the shop, apparently stuffing them into a U-Haul van that was seen leaving the back of the store shortly after midnight, police said.
They also took jewelry, veils and other bridal apparel, but passed up bridesmaid dresses and formal wear, Dennison said. The losses were estimated at $250,000.
“They probably are in Mexico by now,” store owner Brenda Jerke said. Stolen wedding gowns are tough to sell in the United States, she said.
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